Night of 100 Dinners 晚宴

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Fri, May 06, 2016 |
Night of 100 Dinners 晚宴

Innovative 115th Birthday Fundraiser

Yale-China piloted a new fundraiser this spring with its “Night of 100 Dinners”—an idea that turns a traditional gala on its head. Instead of bringing many supporters together in one ballroom (hard to do when your supporters are dispersed all over the world!), we have been holding as many smaller, intimate dinners as we can, all linked by a common sense of purpose and community. Local hosts have volunteered to bring together friends and alumni to celebrate Yale-China’s 115th birthday. Dinners have been held so far in Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Minneapolis, several in New York, several in New Haven, and several still to come (Singapore, Hong Kong, and more…).

Deepest thanks to all of you who have attended and donated, and especially to our generous hosts! All of you have made this successful pilot year possible! See you all next year!

Here's how it works:

THE HOST volunteers to provide the meal and venue -- however you want to do this: in a restaurant, in your home, as a potluck dinner, or whatever you choose. The host reaches out and invites guests of their choosing (Yale-China can help with names from our database if desired). Invite a larger or smaller number of attendees, as you wish. The host also decides on the donation price that each guest pays to attend -- you can customize an invitation that Yale-China provides. We suggest a minimum of $20, or go for $115 to commemorate our birthday in 2016, or whatever you feel will accomplish the dinner's fundraising goal, without excluding those who want to participate.

YALE-CHINA will provide what you need to run the evening, including customizable invitations, information to share about what Yale-China does and why we are a worthy cause, a brief video to inspire conversation, and small gifts to thank your guests. We can also help you locate current and recent fellows, students and other Yale-China participants in your area who could share their stories and what the experience means to them.

GUESTS pay the set price to join the evening, and then no further donations are solicited at the event. We want the evening to be fun and a celebration of our community and -- for those who are new to Yale-China's work -- a good introduction to what we do.